A True Woman (2)
"Yena, are you alright?"
Park Siwoo asked, his voice tight with worry. Lee Yena offered him a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine."
But to Siwoo's eyes, she looked anything but. That porcelain face had gone deathly pale, and the slender hand covering her mouth was trembling.
"Yena."
He rose from his seat and started toward her—only for Yena to stop him with an outstretched hand.
"It's nothing, really. Please don't worry so much."
"Nothing…?"
"I even went to the hospital. They said it's just fatigue."
"…"
"Ah—and you don't need to feel sorry, Siwoo! I came here of my own accord, after all."
Hehe. She let out a small, airy laugh.
"I just wanted to cook for you. So please don't feel uncomfortable about it."
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Eat up! Before it gets cold."
Siwoo had no choice but to ease back. Under any other circumstances he would have taken her straight to a hospital, but as they talked, the color returned to her face with startling speed. The worry, however, did not leave him.
Before sitting down again, he spoke quietly.
"Yena."
"Yes, Siwoo?"
"Would you like to stay the night?"
"Pardon?"
"I don't mean anything by it. I just…"
"I'd love to!"
Yena nodded so vigorously the sickly pallor from moments ago might as well have been a trick of the light. Seeing her like that, Siwoo felt a measure of relief. He'd been carrying a quiet guilt over how late he'd come home.
"Please eat. It'll get cold!"
"Alright, then."
And with that, Park Siwoo picked up his chopsticks.
The next morning, Siwoo woke to the sound of his alarm. He'd slept on the sofa so Yena could have the bed, and it was such a high-end piece that he didn't ache anywhere at all.
Better than the bed I used at my old place.
He sat up with that thought—and his eyes flew wide.
"You're awake?"
Lee Yena greeted him with a bright smile, an apron tied around her waist. But it was what she was wearing underneath that stopped him cold. Dolphin shorts so brief they vanished entirely beneath the apron, paired with a cropped white t-shirt. The outfit was so scant he could almost have mistaken her for wearing nothing but the apron itself.
And more than that—
I got up pretty early myself.
Yena had risen even earlier, and she'd been waiting for him.
"I made breakfast. Eat up and then head to work."
A gentle aroma of real food drifted through the air. Not cereal. She had genuinely gotten up at dawn and cooked.
"Yena, you don't have to do this."
She waved him off.
"I like cooking, that's all. Come on—you'll be late."
Siwoo had no choice but to follow her to the table. Given that it was breakfast, he'd expected something modest. The moment he saw the spread, that expectation shattered completely.
What in the world…
It was a seven-course Korean table worthy of a proper restaurant. Yesterday's galbi was there, of course, along with an array of seasoned namul—and even gejang, soy-marinated crab.
The namul I can understand, but when did she even make the gejang?
Siwoo stared at her, stunned. She beamed.
"I actually ordered the gejang through a dawn delivery service."
Heh. She stuck her tongue out a little and scratched the back of her head.
"I was so nervous thinking it wouldn't arrive in time for breakfast."
The sight of her was so endearing that Siwoo's heart gave a small, traitorous thump. It lasted only a moment. The second alarm blared.
"Ah—I should hurry. Yena, I'll enjoy the meal."
"Eat well."
And so Park Siwoo began his breakfast. He already knew how well she cooked—he'd tasted it last night. But still.
The more I eat, the more incredible it is.
A superstar famous the world over who could also cook like this was no small thing. Celebrities had money to burn; there was always someone ready to put a meal in front of them.
She really is a perfect woman.
Comparing her to Kim Soyeon almost felt unfair. He had always been the one who came home last and left first. Whenever he walked through the door, she would mutter that she was sleepy and disappear into the bedroom. In the mornings she sprawled there dead to the world, never once bothering to say have a good day. Breakfast had been out of the question. Siwoo had eaten cereal alone, every single morning.
To be served a feast like this now—it stirred something in him he hadn't felt in a long time. He swept the food into his mouth as if he were drinking it.
Meanwhile—
Whiiirrrr!
Yena had started cleaning the apartment. Siwoo tried to stop her at once, but she pressed on, insisting she enjoyed it. He watched for a moment as the rooms began to gleam wherever her hands passed, then went to change. The breakfast had been so lavish he'd lingered over it, and now he was cutting it close.
He finished getting ready in a rush and stood at the front door.
"Yena!"
She switched off the vacuum and came dashing over. She looked for all the world like a puppy bounding up to greet its owner.
"Yena, I'll be heading out. What about you?"
She would go home today, he assumed. He swallowed a quiet pang of disappointment. But then—
"Um…"
Yena offered an awkward little smile. She glanced this way and that, then finally spoke.
"Would it be alright if I stayed here for about a month?"
"Pardon?"
Yena, staying at his place for a whole month?
"My overseas tour just ended, so I don't think I'll have any schedules for a while. I was thinking I might stay at your place… would that be okay? I'll clean, and I'll do the laundry too."
He considered it for a brief moment.
"That's fine."
"Yay!"
The instant he agreed, Yena bounced in place. Her light t-shirt flipped up, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of a black bra.
"Then have a good day at work, Siwoo."
She bowed. Watching her, Siwoo let out a small laugh.
Good thing I said yes.
"I'll be off, then."
He finished putting on his shoes and turned to go. Right then—
"Ah, Siwoo."
"Yes?"
"Do you have any favorite foods? I'll make them for you."
Siwoo fell into a thoroughly pleasant dilemma. Then he answered.
"Anything you make is fine."
"…!"
Color flooded Yena's face in an instant. He couldn't tell which part of that had embarrassed her, but seeing her so clearly pleased lifted his own mood right along with it.
"I'll make it as delicious as I possibly can!"
Leaving Yena behind with her fists clenched in determination, Park Siwoo headed to work.
"Hey. Something good happen to you?"
"Huh?"
Lunch hour. Kim Seunghyeok wandered over as Siwoo stood on the rooftop for a smoke.
"Even when your stocks went through the roof, that face of yours didn't budge. Now you're glowing. Seriously glowing. What's going on?"
Park Siwoo was famous for a face that gave nothing away. He knew that about himself, which made the comment all the more startling.
I look happy?
Was it Neon Heart? No. If that were it, Kim Seunghyeok would have said something sooner.
Probably…
It was Yena.
Well.
For the first time in his life, Park Siwoo found himself looking forward to clocking out. There had never been anything waiting for him at home, so he'd actually been the type to welcome overtime. Not anymore.
I want to go home already.
It finally felt like he had a real home to return to.
"You little—did you get a girlfriend? That's exactly the face of someone in love."
Siwoo huffed a quiet laugh.
"Not a chance."
"Then what's with you? Don't tell me you're about to randomly off yourself. Huh? They say people die when they start doing things they never did."
Kim Seunghyeok was working himself into a lather.
"What do you take me for. I'm not dying."
With nothing but good things happening, why would I?
Not that Kim Seunghyeok could possibly know what was going on in his head. Siwoo decided to brush it off with a half-baked excuse.
"I got divorced. I couldn't be happier than this, hyung."
"…"
The way the other man went quiet suggested he'd bought it, at least somewhat. Kim Seunghyeok forced a wry little smile and said, quietly,
"I'm glad you were able to shake it off."
"Anyway. Let's head back."
"Yeah."
And with that, Park Siwoo returned to the office. Right on cue, a message from Cha Yeseung popped up on the work messenger.
Siwoo replied at once. Throw enough money at it and most celebrities would readily agree to film a challenge together. Except—
There's no one available.
Most of them were either buried in new-song work or out of the country, which made putting a challenge together far from easy.
Guess I'll have to drop the challenge.
Nothing to be done about it. He swallowed the disappointment and got on with his work. The one silver lining was that there wasn't much piled on his desk, so he clocked out right on the dot.
Had the way home ever felt this exciting? He stepped out of the taxi with a light stride and headed for his apartment.
Beep-beep-beep.
He punched in the passcode. The moment he stepped inside, Lee Yena greeted him with a bright, blooming smile.
"You're home?"
She'd clearly been in the middle of cooking; a rice paddle was still in her hand.
"Give me your bag. I'll put it away for you."
"Ah—sure."
Siwoo handed it over, slipped off his shoes and set them in their place, then stepped inside. Walking along beside him, Yena spoke up.
"I was taking a break for the first time in a while and watching YouTube, and it was all about you."
"Was it?"
"Yes. Neon Heart's promotion seems to be going really well. So, about that…"
She let the sentence trail off. Siwoo stopped walking and looked at her, and only then did she go on.
"I was thinking about how I could help you, Siwoo. So I filmed a challenge with your song and uploaded it… and it got ten million views."
Hehe. She gave an awkward little laugh. Siwoo, who had been listening in silence, felt his eyes go round.
"T-ten million?"
"Yes!"
Yena nodded, then turned to the frozen man in front of her.
"You'll praise me, right?"
At that same moment, a message arrived from Cha Yeseung.
Praise? That didn't even begin to cover it. He wanted to scoop her up and bounce her on his knee.